Josh Merrill – Field Manager
Josh Merrill will return as the Rockers Field Manager for the 2026 season after guiding the franchise to its second Northwoods League Championship in the past three seasons. Merrill currently serves as the Head Baseball Coach at Eastern Oklahoma State College.
Merrill is no stranger to the summer collegiate baseball scene and the Northwoods League. He joined the Rockers in 2025 after spending a summer leading the Johnstown Mill Rats in the Prospect League, where his team achieved a Northeast Division playoff appearance in his first year at the helm. Merrill has previous Northwoods League experience as a player pitching for the rival Wausau Woodchucks during the 2012 season.
Prior to taking the reins at Eastern Oklahoma, Merrill spent three years as the head coach for the Northern Iowa Area Community College Trojans. During his years at the helm, his teams made appearances in Region 11 tournament two years. During Merrill’s time at NIACC, Trojan baseball saw 16 players receive ICCAC All-Region Honors and one player named to the ABCA NJCAA Division II All-American team in 2023. Merrill has helped 32 players successfully transfer to four-year colleges during his time at NIACC and has simultaneously built an extensive network with other college coaches throughout the country.
Prior to his arrival in Mason City, Merrill was an assistant coach at the University of Southern Indiana for one season where he oversaw recruiting and worked with the offense, catchers, and outfielders. He was also an assistant coach for two years at Neosho County Community College.
A native of Wichita, Kansas, Merrill was a right-handed pitcher that started his career at Neosho County Community college where he was a part of back-to-back trips to the NJCAA D1 World Series. After Neosho County, he transferred to the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and later King University. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from Oklahoma State University. Merrill currently resides in Mason City with his wife and their four children.
– Pitching Coach
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– Bench Coach
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– Hitting/1B Coach